After the Meiji
Restoration, Kano developed Judo: a modern fighting art devoid of feudal
associations.Funakoshi followed
suit: introducing an Okinawan fighting art to mainland Japan. It was called 'karate'
(China hand).
When you read a little more about the origins of the Okinawan art, there is
usually some mention of karate being adapted from
Chinese martial arts.This final point is most curious.

Feudal China

Chinamaintained a feudal society for millennia.
In such an environment, martial arts tuition
was not something casual.
Teachers were very choosy about who they taught their arts to.
A student misdemeanour could result in serious consequences for the
unfortunate instructor.

China invented modern paper and kept it secret for 700 years.
They created weaponry during The Warring States period that wasn't 'developed'
by the West until The Middle Ages (centuries later).
Yet, we are asked to believe that Chinese martial artists taught their skills to
the Okinawan people...

Okinawan karate became more
sophisticated by continuing relationships with Chinese combat arts experts,
Okinawans began concentrating on some of the finer details, especially those
of the Chinese internal arts like taijiquan.
These arts stress subtle muscle movements and the stretching of tendons and
ligaments. Anything that reflected a Chinese influence would have been
highly regarded and recognised as
advanced.

(Dave Lowry)

Why?

Why would Chinese warriors share their skills
with Okinawan peasants?
Doesn't the story sound just a little bit unlikely? A far more plausible explanation: Chinese fishermen shared
their peasant fighting abilities with Okinawan
fishermen.

How much martial skill does a fisherman possess?
In feudal China, is a peasant going to learn high level combat skills?
Who from?

Feudalism

A Chinese soldier would only be taught the basics; what they needed to know.
To invest in complex training requires money and time. And the Chinese are
notably frugal (and practical) when it comes to money. Advanced martial arts were reserved for
officers and nobility.

Feudal Japan

Forget China and think about feudal Japan...
Would a Japanese samurai teach a peasant
how to fight?No.
Combat skills were never shared with peasants; it would be suicidal.
The peasants outnumbered the nobility. Only a fool would teach them how to
fight.Yet we are expected to believe that Chinese warriors taught combat
skills to Okinawan peasants?

Partial knowledgeThe Japanese are famous for their ability to innovate, adapt and develop the
ideas of other cultures.They do this very well.
However, they can only work with what the knowledge
they have access to.

Barry was telling us a story about the woman who
always cut the end of the ham and somebody asked her why she did it. She said,
"Well I don't know, my mother always did it that way." And they asked her mother
and she said, "I don't know, my mother always did it." And they asked grandma,
and she said, "Well, I did it because otherwise it wouldn't fit into my biggest
pot."

(Chungliang Al Huang)

Chinese
myths

Many Chinese martial arts tell the same origin story: an ancient master watched
a fight between a bird and a snake.
From this they developed the system.Oh really?How can every story be true?The answer is simple: the story is a creation myth.

The origin of tai chi

What is the origin of tai chi? Who knows?Various authors provide credible seeming accounts but there is no actual
evidence to substantiate the stories.
As with Okinawan karate, the real origin of the Art may be quite
humble.Does anyone really know the truth? Does it even matter?

Styles

There are 4 traditional styles of taijiquan: Chen,
Yang, Wu and Hao.But
it is important not to get too hung up on
taijiquan styles.
The Tai Chi Classics were written by
Chang San-feng, Wang Tsung-yueh and Wu Yu-hsiang.
Wu created Hao style, but there are no known styles attributed to Chang or Wang.
How come?

What is the truth?

Who knows?
Nobody knows the truth.
At best we can be sceptical of history. Treat stories as being stories.

History

Oral tradition, eye witnesses, books and manuscripts are not reliable sources of
information.
Anyone can get a book published.
If you cannot find a publisher, you can pay for it to be published yourself.
History should be treated with scepticism.

Scepticism is healthy

What is 'history'?

The
branch of knowledge dealing with past events

A
continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular
people, country, period, person

The
record of past events and times

A
past notable for its important, unusual, or interesting events: a ship with
a history

A
systematic account of any set of natural phenomena without particular
reference to time: a history of the American eagle

None of these definitions
mention the key factor: 'bias'. History is an
interpretation of what occurred. It is not fact.

Point of view

Quite often, the ruling power at a given time re-writes history. They give their
version of what happened, their perspective.Do the Japanese see Hiroshima in the same way that the Americans do?
It seems unlikely.

Bias

The presence of the mind at the centre of everything causes bias.
We are fundamentally subjective.
Everything we experience is filtered through our memories and our perceptions.
No one is objective.
We accept or reject a historical perspective relative to whether or not
it
pleases us.

Folklore

If somebody puts information in a book, people have a tendency to accept
it as being accurate.Why is this?
Is a written story any less true or false than a legend? Why do we accept one
and reject another?
A University essay relies upon reference to prior essays and research. The past
insights are seen to somehow authenticate and validate the present.
This is quite an odd convention.

The attitudes, culture and philosophy surrounding the Art are not modern.
If a student expects to make progress they should respect this.
And be prepared to embrace ways of thinking and acting that are perhaps
unfamiliar.

In many martial arts schools the practice was carried out in secrecy and the
school's very existence was frequently concealed from the authorities. For
example, taijiquan is based on body of theory known to be around 2000 years old
yet it was not revealed until 1750.

When a master of
taijiquan faces an opponent he brings to the confrontation thousands of years of
philosophical, martial and practical thought. He has lived most of his life
according to the principles established centuries ago and in the process, he has
strengthened his body and probably earned a long and healthy life.